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Gutterspeak
Gutterspeak is the language unique to the Undead in World of Warcraft. The other language that Undead player characters are able to speak is Orcish. Gutterspeak is a lower form of Common that uses little (very little) bits of Dwarven, and Thalassian. It has existed for a while (longer than the Undead Forsaken have), and evolved in the shady underground of black markets and rogues' guilds as the tongue spoke by people of ill-repute. When the Forsaken took the Undercity, they adopted Gutterspeak as their official language. To sum up the Undeads' attitude: they had been thrown away like trash, and abandoned by everyone, even their friends and loved ones. Thus Gutterspeak, as the language of the outcasts, seemed appropriate to them. Note that Undead can still understand and speak Orcish. However, they never speak it under normal circumstances. They take fierce pride in speaking Gutterspeak instead. Gutterspeak Primer Forsaken Names Like their dark lady, Forsaken keep the names they had when they were alive. These tend to be human names as most Forsaken were human. If a Forsaken cannot remember their name, they may make up a suitable name or simply take one from a headstone. Some invent surnames that imply their desire to eradicate the Scourge. * Male Names: Roberick, Magan, Danforth, Lansire. * Female Names: Yellen, Limmy, Sarias, Mierelle. * Family Names: Dartfall, Blacksling, Ghoulhunter, Blastlich. Sample Words (speculation) This is the list of words created by the in-game language parser for the Common language, and is listed as language number thirty-three (word range 1371-1494) in the Language text file. In the in-game translator, the language parser for Gutterspeak shares similar words with Common and Gnomish. Note: The language algorithm used by the in-game "translator" merely makes the words LOOK like Gutterspeak. It does not actually use a specific dictionary. Therefore, translated in-game speech isn't true Gutterspeak. Almost all names are real-world western European names. Undead and areas in Silverpine, Western Plaguelands, Hillsbrad, and Tirisfal have more stereotypically English-sounding names (Darthalia, Alistair, Agamand, Lordaeron, Radley) while Eastern Plaguelands have more Germanic Names (Stratholme, Zverenhoff, Deatholme). Language Barrier It has not been explained within the context of the game why the Forsaken in World of Warcraft are not able to speak or understand their language during life, Common. However, according to lore found in the Horde Player's Guide Undead Forsaken have indeed not lost the ability to understand Common but just never choose to speak it under normal circumstances. The language barrier is simply a game mechanic, and no attempt needs to be made to reconcile it in terms of lore. The inability of Forsaken to speak and understand Common is not found in other sources. According to the RPG, Forsaken learn the languages of their enemies and their allies (who may soon become their enemies). Thus, they are often fluent in several other languages besides Common and Gutterspeak, including Orcish. The Forsaken encountered by the main characters in the Sunwell Trilogy are also capable of speaking Common. Game Mechanics The real-world explanation for the fact that Undead aren't able to to speak Common is simply because the developers don't want players communicating across factions. In Beta, the Undead player characters spoke Common (besides Orcish) and thus could communicate with Alliance characters. This led to a huge amount of vitriol and bile that was spewed both ways, so this functionality was removed and Gutterspeak was introduced. In the game, neutral undead NPCs are capable of speaking to the Alliance. It has been theorized that Common and Gutterspeak are translated to Orcish in the exact same manner, although this claim is disputed. Those disputing it say that while "lol" translates to "bur" in Orcish from both Common and Gutterspeak (along with several other tested phrases), these are similarities purposely put in because Undead were once living and thus once spoke Common, and have since then changed their language somewhat. It is more likely, however, that when Blizzard wanted to create a language barrier, they left Undead speaking the same language, but gave Gutterspeak the same translation scheme as common to both Orcish and Common as Common has to Orcish, thus creating a barrier, but removing the need for explaining why they speak "different" languages. This is corroborated by the translation filter using identical 124-word long sample word lists for showing Common and Gutterspeak to non-speakers. Fan Speculation However, some fans who have tried to reconcile it in their own way, theorized that that they just don´t want to talk Common. Some because some they hate humanity so much and some because they wanted to broke their ties to their preceding life. (some RPG books support this theory) Other fans have speculated that it may be some effect of the unnatural magics which raised them, possibly accompanied by the fact that they speak through a rotting mouth and throat. Category:Game Terms Category:Languages